Since 2021, @rotitelurfinance has been sharing his personal finance journey online — from investing basics and platform reviews to honest lessons learned along the way. It started during the pandemic as a way to answer friends’ questions about money which has grown into a helpful resource for Malaysians who want to learn how to save, invest, and build wealth.
In this interview, Deen shares how his upbringing shaped his money habits, how he reached his first RM100,000 by 24, and how his investing approach has evolved over time. He also talks about why he started Roti Telur Finance, his views on Malaysia’s investing scene, and what money means to him.
1. Hi Deen! For those who are new to your channel, could you share a bit about yourself and what first prompted you to start your personal finance journey?
My name is Deen. Short for Deenesh, though most of my family and friends just call me Deen (yes, I know it sounds like a Malay name but I’m not haha).
I’m 29 this year, and I currently run several small businesses, including my YouTube channel, Roti Telur Finance.
My personal finance journey really started when I was young. I grew up in a lower-middle-class family.
Both my parents were tuition teachers, and money was always tight. I watched my mum run her small business while being extremely disciplined with her finances, and she always drilled into me and my brother the importance of saving, spending only on what we truly need, and being mindful with money.
That mindset followed me through school, college, and into my working life.
Later on in college, I discovered stock investing, and that curiosity pushed me even deeper into the world of personal finance and investing.
As for the YouTube channel, I’ve always loved YouTube since the Kevjumba and PewDiePie era, but I never knew what my own channel should be about because I’ve always wanted my own YouTube channel.
Then the 2020 pandemic happened. During the MCO, I suddenly had a lot of free time, and many friends and family started asking me about investing — how to start, what stock to invest in, what I was doing with my money.
Instead of repeating the same thing to everyone, I thought, “Why not just make a video so everyone can learn in one place?”
Plus, for some reason, during the lockdown I kept craving roti telur. It also felt like a relatable, very Malaysian name and that’s how Roti Telur Finance was born.
2. You mentioned working various small jobs while in school and college from data entry to selling durians. Looking back, how did those early experiences shape the way you think about earning and managing money?
Over the years, I tried all sorts of small jobs while I was still in school and college, from doing data entry right after SPM, to teaching tuition during my college years, and even running my first small business selling durians with a few friends during the durian season.
That last one was honestly the most fun because I got to run it together with my friends.
Even though the money was not a lot at the time, those experiences taught me two important lessons very early in life.
First, I learned the true value of each ringgit. When you are young, it is very easy to just ask our parents for pocket money. But the moment you earn your first ringgit through your own effort, something clicks. You suddenly understand how much work goes into making even a small amount, and that changes the way you treat money.
Second, I realised that income is never guaranteed. Some months when we sold durians, we made a decent amount. Other months, the income was much lower. This taught me that money today does not mean money tomorrow, and you always need to be prepared for changes. Everything in life has its seasons, with ups and downs along the way.
Because of that mindset, whenever we had a good month, I made sure not to spend everything just because we could. I saved as much as possible and put the money to better use instead of wasting it. I only spent on things I truly needed or on things that brought real value.
Those small jobs shaped how I view earning, saving, and planning for the long term even today.
3. Congratulations on hitting your first RM100,000 by 24! What were some of the key habits or mindset shifts that helped you reach that goal?
One of the biggest habits that helped me reach RM100,000 was simply saving as much of my income as I could and channeling it straight into investments, mainly blue chip stocks in the early days.
I did not have a complicated strategy. I just stayed consistent.
Lifestyle wise, I have always been someone who does not need much to feel content. I was not the type to buy the latest iPhone, eat out all the time, or chase trends. My entertainment was basically just playing Dota with the boys at home, very low cost and very high ROI haha. Because of that, I never really struggled with lifestyle inflation. If you see me out in public, I am probably just in shorts and slippers.
In terms of mindset, I valued long term thinking and delayed gratification. I always prioritised my needs over my wants. Whenever I had extra cash, my first instinct was to deploy it into something that would benefit my future self, not to let it sit around doing nothing. I have always hated watching money stay idle.
One thing I did differently from many people my age at that time was constantly looking for side hustles. I understood very early on that cash is king, but cash flow is even more important. If I wanted to build wealth, I needed money to invest consistently. So I kept trying different small jobs and side gigs just to increase my income and keep my investment engine running.
Those habits and mindset shifts combined were what helped me hit my first RM100k.
4. Many Malaysians struggle between saving for the future and managing daily expenses. How did you personally strike that balance during your student and early working years?
As a student, it was honestly difficult to manage my daily expenses. The things I wanted to do, like saving and investing, all required money, but the pocket money I received from my parents was not enough to cover everything. So I had to find side hustles here and there to create extra income. That was the only way I could afford to do more than just get by.
At the same time, I lived very frugally. I brought food from home, avoided unnecessary spending, and stuck to a really simple lifestyle. Those habits helped me stretch my money as far as possible, and they have stayed with me even now as a working adult.
To make sure I was still saving for my future, I planned out my fixed costs first. Whatever extra I earned on top of that, whether from side hustles or part time jobs, went strictly into investing and building wealth. Consistency was the key.
Of course, there were sacrifices along the way, but nothing that affected my quality of life. I still had great friends, I still enjoyed my time growing up, and I do not feel like I missed out on much. I just learned early on how to prioritise what truly mattered.
5. What sparked your interest in investing, and how did you take your first steps into it? Was there a specific moment, influence, or experience that got you started?
My interest in investing really started during my college years, after my brother gave me a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad. That book introduced me to the idea of the investor quadrant, where money works for you instead of you constantly working for money. Learning about assets, cash flow, and how time and compounding do the heavy lifting completely shifted my mindset. It changed how I looked at income, security, and long term financial freedom.
From there, I had to learn everything on my own. I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos about investing and trading, trying to understand how the stock market actually worked. Back then, things were not as convenient as they are today. You had to physically go to a bank branch just to open a CDS account in order to buy stocks. I was not even 18 yet, so my mum had to follow me to the bank to help me open my account.
Once my account was approved, I still remember how nervous I was about buying my very first stock. I did not have much money at that time, so every ringgit mattered to me. I really wanted it to work, and more importantly, I did not want to lose money. So I went with a very iconic first choice, Maybank. I think my first purchase was 100 shares.
When I clicked that buy button, I remember thinking, “So this is what it feels like to actually own a piece of a company!” It is a feeling that is hard to explain unless you experience it yourself. That moment, buying my first stock, is still one of my clearest memories and the real beginning of my investing journey.
6. Over time, how has your investing approach evolved? Were there any mistakes or lessons that helped shape your current money philosophy or investing style?
When I first started investing, I was very cautious. I only invested in reputable companies that I knew, trusted, and personally used. That naturally led me to mature and well established companies. As I mentioned earlier, Maybank was my very first stock purchase.
After a while, my hands started getting itchy. The returns felt slow for my impatient self at that time, which in hindsight was a big mistake when it comes to investing. That was when I started dabbling in Malaysian penny stocks. I thought that if I could buy more shares at a cheaper price, I could make faster and bigger gains. In theory, buying a stock at RM0.10 and selling it at RM0.20 sounds like an easy way to double your money.
Reality hit very quickly.
Most penny stocks are cheap for a reason. Many of these companies are poorly managed, lack strong fundamentals, have weak cash flow, limited business moats, and are highly speculative. They are often too small or too immature to sustain long term growth, and their prices are easily driven by short term sentiment rather than real business performance.
I got burned a few times chasing these quick wins, and that was a very important lesson for me. It taught me not to chase fast money and instead focus on consistent and sustainable growth. There is no point doubling your money on one investment if you end up losing everything on the next. Consistency matters far more than occasional big wins.
After that, I went back to basics and focused only on investing in solid, fundamentally strong, and undervalued companies.
As my journey progressed, I also started exploring markets beyond Malaysia, and I quickly fell in love with the US market. There are many companies there whose products and services I personally use, which makes it easier for me to understand and believe in them over the long term. The liquidity and trading volume in the US market are also significantly higher, which makes investing more efficient and transparent, as investors from all over the world participate in it.
Compared to the US market, the local market moves slower, has lower liquidity, and often offers fewer growth oriented opportunities. On top of that, data, financial reports, and market news for US companies are far more accessible, making research and decision making much easier.
Eventually, I started investing more into ETFs and selected US companies. Today, the US market makes up the largest portion of my portfolio. My approach now is very simple and disciplined. I invest consistently into ETFs every month without fail, and I allocate capital into a few high conviction companies in chunks, based on my research and long term outlook.
That evolution, from cautious, to impatient, to disciplined, really shaped my current investing philosophy.
7. You’ve explored different options like stocks, ETFs, crypto, and robo-advisors such as Versa and StashAway. Which platform or type of investment do you personally prefer now, and why?
At this stage, most of my long-term holdings are in stocks, ETFs, and a small allocation in crypto. I do occasionally trade options as well, which is a more active approach that requires constant monitoring and deeper research. The rest of my portfolio, especially ETFs, is more of a “do your homework once and set-and-forget” strategy.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of robo-advisors. In my opinion, most of what robo-advisors do can already be achieved by holding a low-cost ETF directly, without paying additional management and miscellaneous fees. That said, for beginners who want to start investing but don’t have the time or confidence to manage things themselves, robo-advisors aren’t a wrong path — they can be a good stepping stone.
I do use Versa, but mainly as a place to park my uninvested cash to earn some daily returns while waiting for better opportunities. Nowadays, many brokerages like Moomoo and Webull also offer returns on uninvested cash, which I think is a great development for investors.
To summarise my setup today: I use Moomoo for my long-term stock and ETF investments, Interactive Brokers for options and more active investing, and Versa for cash holdings. This combination gives me flexibility, efficiency, and clarity in how I manage my money.
8. What are your current financial goals and your broader life goals? How do you see money supporting the kind of lifestyle you want to build?
My current financial goal is still very simple, which is to continue growing my investment portfolio while building and expanding my businesses. I don’t have a fixed number in mind for retirement or financial freedom because that number keeps changing as life changes. For me, chasing a specific number has never been the main focus.
What I do know very clearly is the kind of life I want. I want flexibility and the ability to work on my own terms. That means having the freedom to build my businesses, continue growing my YouTube channel, and still have time for the people who matter most to me.
Family plays a huge role in this. I love spending time with my parents, and as they get older, it’s one of the biggest reasons I work so hard for freedom. I want to be present and give them quality time without constantly worrying about work or money. I also really cherish the time I get to spend with my nephew, who means a lot to me.
Money, for me, isn’t about upgrading my lifestyle or chasing luxury. It’s a tool that gives me flexibility, security, and options. It allows me to choose how I spend my time and who I spend it with. I try very consciously not to let money push me into lifestyle inflation or trap me in a job I don’t enjoy. Instead, I want money to support my life, not control it.
9. From your perspective, how has Malaysia’s personal finance and investing landscape changed since you started your channel in 2021?
When I first started my channel in 2021, my intention was simply to share what I was personally doing at that time. It was still during the COVID period, and crypto, especially Bitcoin, was extremely hot.
Back then, many Malaysians, particularly from the older generation, had no idea how to buy cryptocurrency. The platforms felt complicated, unregulated, and intimidating.
That was why I made a step-by-step video showing how to buy crypto through an exchange. While it wasn’t the most regulated or beginner-friendly method, it was one of the cheapest ways to own crypto at that time. The problem wasn’t just regulation, but also accessibility. Many people wanted exposure but didn’t know where to start or how to do it safely.
Fast forward to today, and a lot has changed for the better. The platforms and tools available now are far more user-friendly, regulated, and accessible. You don’t even need to stress about wallets, security, or technical setups anymore. For example, investors can now gain exposure to Bitcoin through ETFs on regulated brokerages like Moomoo, which makes it much safer and more convenient for both younger investors and older generations.
However, one major problem still hasn’t changed, and that is scams. People are still getting scammed left, right, and centre. There are individuals pretending they can invest on behalf of others, claiming they know exactly what will happen to a particular stock, or selling very expensive “courses” with unrealistic promises. I’ve personally had subscribers who fell victim to these scams, and it honestly makes me feel both sad and angry that this issue still hasn’t been properly addressed.
I believe much more education is needed at a mass level, and this is something I actively try to do through my content. Overall though, I think the change in Malaysia’s investing landscape has been positive. More young people are starting their investing journey earlier than ever before, and that gives me a lot of hope for the future.
10. Creating consistent, valuable Malaysian finance content isn’t easy. What keeps you inspired and motivated to continue posting videos on YouTube?
It’s definitely not easy, especially when I’m balancing content creation while running my businesses. That’s probably one of the reasons why I haven’t always been the most consistent with posting. But what truly keeps me going is the feedback and support I receive whenever I upload a video.
The comments, messages, and encouragement from viewers really mean a lot to me. People are genuinely kind and supportive, and knowing that my videos are helping someone understand money a little better motivates me to keep going. It reminds me why I started in the first place.
I can also put myself in their shoes, thinking back to when I was just starting out. Back then, it was hard to find simple, honest, and relatable content about personal finance, especially from a Malaysian perspective. That’s what pushes me to continue creating content that’s practical and easy to understand.
To avoid burnout, I try to balance my time by doing things I enjoy outside of work, like playing Dota with my friends or watching anime. Those small breaks help me reset mentally and stay motivated.
But at the end of the day, nothing beats the support from the community and the kind comments on my videos. Moving forward, I’ll do my best to improve my consistency and continue putting out better content for everyone who’s been supporting me along the way.
11. Looking ahead, what’s your five-year vision for your YouTube channel? Any new projects or goals you’re excited about exploring?
My five-year goal for my YouTube channel is to grow it to 100,000 subscribers. That’s always a major milestone for any creator, and hitting 20,000 subscribers this year already feels incredibly rewarding. I’m genuinely grateful to everyone who’s supported the channel, watched my videos, and shared them with others.
Beyond the numbers, my bigger focus is on education, impact, and consistency. I want the channel to be a reliable place where everyday Malaysians can come to learn about personal finance and investing in a simple, honest, and practical way. Improving my consistency is a big part of that, because showing up regularly allows me to deliver better value and build stronger trust with the audience.
In terms of future projects, I do see myself creating my own course one day. My goal would be to teach people how to invest properly in areas like stocks, futures, and options, the right way,
without hype or shortcuts. That said, I’m still learning and refining my own understanding. I believe in fully mastering the subject first before teaching others, so when the time is right, I’d love to release a proper step-by-step course that focuses purely on education and long-term skill building.
Ultimately, my five-year vision is simple. I want to educate as many everyday Malaysians as possible about money, personal finance, and investing, and help them make better financial decisions with confidence.
12. Finally, what advice would you give to Malaysians who are just beginning their journey in saving, investing, or building wealth?
If you’re just starting out, my biggest advice is this: don’t rush. You don’t need to get everything right immediately. Focus first on understanding your own money habits, building the basics like savings and an emergency fund, and learning how money actually works. Investing will always be there, but your foundation matters more than anything else.
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is chasing fast returns or listening to people who promise guaranteed profits. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Take your time to learn, ask questions, and understand what you’re putting your money into. There’s no shortcut to building wealth that actually lasts.
When it comes to investing, start small and stay consistent. You don’t need a lot of money to begin. What matters more is forming the habit of investing regularly and thinking long term. Don’t compare your journey with others. Everyone starts at a different point in life.
If I had to leave one core message, it would be this:
“Money is not meant to impress others or inflate your lifestyle. It’s a tool to give you freedom, flexibility, and choices in life.”
Focus on using money to support the life you want to build, not to control it. If you get that right, everything else will slowly fall into place.
Final Thoughts
A big thank you to @rotitelurfinance for sharing his journey so openly with us. Deen’s story shows that building wealth doesn’t have to be complicated or flashy. Through steady habits, long-term thinking, and a willingness to learn from mistakes, he grew his first RM100,000 and turned his experience into practical YouTube content that helps everyday Malaysians.
Key takeaways from this interview:
- Start simple and stay consistent — both in investing and creating content.
- Don’t chase fast money or trends; focus on long-term growth.
- Build a YouTube channel by sharing real experiences, not perfection.
You can follow Deen’s work on YouTube at Roti Telur Finance and on Instagram @rotitelurfinance.
